Florida

I'm going on 30 plus hours without sleep. My head is spinning. Or maybe it's the room. Not sure. I'm seriously jet-lagged with a good dollop of head cold, but I'm trying in earnest to resist the urge to sleep. I have a busy week ahead, and so getting my body clock on the right schedule as quickly as possible is a top priority. So with bags unpacked and luggage stowed until the next trip, I'm staving off sleep for another three or four hours (IF I can stand it). Here I sit in front of this big, bright rectangular thing sorting through photos. Not a great remedy for jet-lag, but it's at least keeping my focus so I don't fall over.



Despite severe weather delays that resulted in a ridiculous 24 plus hours of travel time from London to Orlando and some illness in the form of head colds for some and a doctor visit for pink eye for another, and a much colder than anticipated start to our Floridian winter getaway (my, this list is getting lengthy!), we had a great time in Florida. Scott's mom and step-dad moved there a few months ago, and so we built a fun family holiday around a visit to see them. We had a great time staying with them in their new home in a little slice of orange-scented, sun-kissed heaven in central Florida where year-round weekend decisions might be a toss-up between golf or beaches, Atlantic or gulf coast, take your pick! After enjoying garden tours, playtime on a white sandy beach and an outdoor BBQ in the middle of February I can really see why people retire to places like this. And I'm happy knowing Scott's mom and step-dad get to enjoy this new place they now call home.


Backyard BBQ and s'mores on our first day
















Enjoying an American delicacy! Grandma and Grandpa totally hooked up the kids with all their favourite American eats (and drinks)!






King of the marshmallows!




I love me a good burnt marshmallow!


Don't bother me, I'm eating a s'more






We're not in England anymore!

The next day they took us to the beautiful Bok Tower and Gardens. It is a beautiful attraction with an historic carillon bell tower and lush gardens. We enjoyed wandering throughout the extensive gardens, feeding the fish and listening to the carillon concert.























Then they took us to their favourite beach in St. Petersburg. Gorgeous white sand beaches surrounded by charming seaside cottages, sailboats and endless seafood restaurants. We even saw dolphins! The kids had a great day building sand castles and exploring up and down St. Pete's Beach. I personally enjoyed just soaking up as much Vitamin D as possible!





































Adventures at Walt Disney World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to come . . .

Snow

At last London got a bit of snow. The kids would have been hugely disappointed if the winter season had come and gone without a good tumble in the snow. And for a while there it was looking like we weren't going to see any with temps no where near 0º. But alas old man winter has arrived bringing sub-zero temps and now finally some snow.

It arrived during last night's date night, where I brought along my trusty compact camera . . .


Dear friends, Trina and Rachel . . . and our husbands at the opposite side of the table.



Then this afternoon we headed out for some good quality time in what snow was left from the previous night's storm. It was pretty slushy by the time we got to it, but still enough to have fun in.



















































And to restore warmth we topped off the day with a delicious Sunday roast with yorkshire puddings! It was de-lish!

Phyllis

A few days ago I had a day I shall never forget. I had the amazing opportunity to sit in very intimate, small class setting and listen to one of Britain's most well-known modern novelists. Detective author P.D. James came to the English Detective class I am taking to speak to all 20 of us in a small, unremarkable room in a church a couple blocks off Abbey Road. This intimate, rather unexceptional setting almost magnified how incredible this experience was. At 91 James is as sharp as a tack and undeniably articulate without any hint of a failing memory. And yet her unpretentious demeanour and honest sensible manner made her feel so approachable, and also made one feel so at ease in her presence. She is a treasure, and I could have sit and listened to her for ages.

I only had my compact, inferior camera with me, but I at least have these images to remember this experience . . .

Then today . . . . I was so excited by an email I received that I had to share. I forwarded the photos I had taken of P.D. James when she visited my class last week to my teacher attached to an email thank-you letter.

Well as it turns out my teacher forwarded them onto P.D. James, AKA Phyllis. And this was James's reply:

Dear Alice

It was a great pleasure to speak to the ladies on 25th January, and also to meet you. I too hope that we shall be able to see each other again. After the talk I did wonder whether I had left enough time for general discussion and it might perhaps have been better had I spoken less before questions were invited, so I am relieved and delighted to learn that the audience did enjoy what I said and found it helpful. They couldn’t have been more welcoming and responsive.

I think the two photographs are wonderful and it is obvious that they were taken by a professional photographer of the highest talent. I wonder whether it would be possible to have copies of them both.

When you see Jane, please give her my love and say that I hope to see her in the spring or summer when I go to Southwold. I shall be there this weekend but only for a charity event when I am speaking in support of a hospice which is being built to serve the district, and I shall have no opportunity to see Jane. I do hope that things are going well with her.

Affectionately
Phyllis



I might print this out and frame it!



Then . . . after this letter to my teacher from P.D. James my teacher asked me to contact P.D. James herself to work out arrangements for getting her copies of my photos. So I, an American commoner, exchanged personal emails with P.D. James herself! I must say I sweat a bit typing her my message and had to press send with one eye closed. To find her personal reply in my email box was such a thrill! Just seeing "P.D. James" in my inbox was pretty cool. And this is what she wrote . . .

Dear Shannon

I would love to have prints of both the photographs and I insist on paying for them, so please let me know the cost plus postage. I think they are absolutely brilliant. My address is ********************************.

I had such a happy hour talking to your class and my only regret afterwards was that I had not left enough time for questions and discussion. For me it was a most stimulating and happy experience and the photographs will provide a lasting memory for me. You are a magnificent photographer and it must be a wonderful talent to have.

yours ever,
Phyllis James

And not only do I know exactly where she lives (half tempted to show up with scones for tea), which I left off the blog for obvious reasons, but she signed it Phyllis!!!